Ats walked with Manna to the building’s parking area, where rows of vehicles lihe ling from sleek cars to advanced bikes. A man in a bck suit awaited him by one of the vehicles, a respectful bow as they approached.

  "Mr. Ats Bckthorn, I’m a representative from the Associatioo present this gift for you," the man said courteously.

  "This is… well, really exg for me. But seriously, yiving it away for free?"

  "It’s a gesture of goodwill," the man expined, "to build a positive retionship with promising Lords. And I heard you just secured a solid team of Awakeo work with you? I’m pleased to hear it."

  The man then walked Ats through the basics, demonstrating the vehicle’s features.

  "ect your Device here, and it will sync automatically with your Awakener Device. I see you also hold a lise for floating vehicles, good to know."

  "Yeah, I registered for it ages ago, hoping I’d get my hands on one someday," Ats admitted.

  "This is the ercial version of the Dune Phantom. It doesn’t e equipped with the offensive systems used by soldiers, but this is the test model. I hope you enjoy it. And please, reach out if you need any further assistance."

  He tinued, “And here’s the safety belt, which keeps you securely attached to the bike. It also has an emergency parachute installed, in case of a critical situation.” He poio a partment of the bike.

  “Yes, thanks,” Ats replied, taking one and fastening it around himself.

  With that, the ma, leaving Ats aloh his new hover bike! He could barely tain his excitement at receiving su incredible gift.

  How much would this have cost if he’d bought it himself? Seriously, they just gave it away? This Empire must truly be swimming ih.

  Ats climbed onto his bike, activating the auto-drive feature with a light touch. He smiled as a soft hum resonated from the vehicle. It was a sound that came from the processed Monster Core p it.

  Monster cores, harvested from hunting creatures, were then refined and used as energy sources. Once fully charged, this bike could run for oo two months without needing a recharge.

  Sure, he had his magic Floating Throoo, a far more advanced craft that could carry several people and respond to his mental ands alone. But still, this bike art of a long-held dream of his, a gift he cherished deeply and had no iion of letting go.

  He turanna, who stood with her arms crossed.

  "e on," he said, patting the back seat. The vehicle began to hently.

  To his surprise, Manna sat side-saddle without a word. Maybe this was his ce to talk to her more. Holy, he o get to know everyone on a deeper level. They were going to share the same fate, face tless challeogether, h between life ah. It only made seo uand their personalities, not just treat them like tools or subordinates.

  The Dune Phantom glided forward with remarkable smoothness. Ats could feel the rush of excitement welling up inside him, the thrill, the sheer exhiration. It was like a jolt of energy he wao scream out, a ugh he could barely keep in.

  “Woohoo, this is amazing! Hahaha!” he burst out, uo hold it bay longer.

  He g Manna. “Sorry, it’s my first time,” he said, chug. But she didn’t respond.

  The Dune Phantom sped along their path, then smoothly lifted to the elevated track set for hover vehicles. Soon, the city skylihat had been distant and below came into full view. Digital billboards cast a vivid glow across their faces, while the hum of other vehicles and the wind rushing past filled the air around them.

  The bike cruised at a moderate pace. He wao savor this experience, h through su advanced city. The excitement on his face was impossible to hide.

  The bike veered onto a quieter path, perfect for a leisurely ride through the city. But as they tinued, a noticeable silence lingered between them.

  Now, he thought, how oh should he start a versation with this Overlord Rank Vampire Queen?

  "Hi," he said.

  Manna sat sidesaddle, leaning her left shoulder lightly against his back. He gnced over his shoulder, trying to read her expression, but she only gave him a quick sidelong look without responding.

  "Were you… an Overlord back there? In your world?" he asked gently, hoping to ect with her, or maybe just to uand her a little better.

  "Immortal."

  Damn!

  Wait! No way!

  Ats’s mind scrambled to process that single word.

  First, yes, she’d actually answered his question with a straightforward response, which felt like a victory in itself. But sed, holy hell! Immortal?! She was at Immortal rank?! Even higher than Edrik and Karian had predicted?

  Ats swallowed hard, mind reeling as he tried to imagihe sheer scope of her power in her inal world. Flying through the air at supersonic speeds? Crumbling mountains with a flick of her fingers? Unleashiation with a single skill cast? Could she actually reduew Earth to rubble if she wao?

  “Immortal…” he echoed, almost breathless, struggling to find words that could match the weight of what she’d just said.

  "That’s… so high, so godlike, so… magnifit." He shook his head slightly. "I holy don’t know how else to express my awe."

  "It was a long journey," she tinued.

  This was gold! Hearing Manna finally open up was a rare and priceless moment.

  Ats focused all his attention on her words, listening ily.

  "Five…" she started, then paused, "five thousand years."

  Ats swallowed hard. Holy damn. Manna was even older than Lyrassa, ten times her age, in fact. To her, Lyrassa must seem like a mere child, and Ats himself, probably just an insignifit i.

  He couldn’t help but wonder just how vast, how brutal, how epic her battles must have been, eae pushing her closer to the Immortal rank. A, in the end, they’d brought her here, summoned as a subordio a newly awakened Lord who could barely wield a spear.

  “You wouldn’t survive what I’ve been through,” she said after a long silence.

  “I won’t pretend I would,” he replied quietly.

  “Humans are… fragile. Short-lived. Nothing special about them,” she tinued. “No survival meisms worth mentioning. They’re just that weak… and useless.”

  Well, she wasn’t wrong. Humans, on average, only lived about 60 years. Even the Awakened could only hope to double that, and even then, it was still brief pared to someone like her, who had existed for thousands of years.

  "I see where you’re ing from," he replied.

  Could humans live longer? Sure, but for a pure human to even reach 200 required intense dedication, and most didn’t make it that far. Unless... they did something drastic to alter their bodies, sacrifig their humanity in the process.

  “Bee a vampire, and you’ll have more time to live,” Manna said, prompting Ats to turn toward her again.

  ***

  (Author’s Note:)

  Manna just revealed her Immortal rank and even offered Ats a path to loy by being a vampire! ?

  It’s pretty rare for her to open up like this, and she’s finally sharing her view of humans, fragile, short-lived, and nothing special in her eyes. But Ats really accept that offer, knowing it might mean giving up parts of his humanity?

  How do you think he should respond?